Nina Hausfeld

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Registered Art Therapist (ATR), Certified Sex Therapist (CST)

Please note that Nina is not currently accepting new clients. Please check back in 2025.

When I was a child, I  had two passions: listening to other people  life stories and making art. As an adult I was lucky enough to find a profession that encompasses both of these passions.

 I obtained a Master’s degree in Art Therapy and Counseling from Antioch University, Seattle in 2006,  and for a several years after, was fortunate enough to work with refugees from war torn countries, traumatized children and anyone who, for one reason or another, lived in the margins of mainstream American society. Often times, my clients did not speak English and even though we had an interpreter, art making became the language we all shared. This experience has been equally true while working with English speaking clients in private practice and leading art therapy groups for populations such as elders, adults living with persistent mental illness, parents raising young children,  and people suffering from Traumatic Brain Injuries/ Strokes. I have been honored to foster the creative process in people’s lives, regardless of their circumstances and have found that art making creates a powerful space for connection no matter what your spoken language. A place where it is safe to experience and express the full range of our emotions. 

Our emotional range, or what we might call the rainbow of our feelings, is by nature made of vastly different colors and hues. When problems arise, we may find ourselves with a limited palette. For example, our sadness may be so deep that we feel we are drowning and our despair so profound, we can’t imagine ever feeling hopeful again. I believe we can use the intensity of this experience to locate previously unknown or disowned shades of expression that add dimension, texture and depth to our lives. These moments become excellent times to seek therapy. 

When working with a client, first and foremost, I offer compassionate listening and encourage loving attention to those sensations and emotions that are sometimes too painful to make contact with alone. Together we turn our attention inward and allow what’s there to emerge, to be held with tolerance, if not affection, and integrate into the fabric of our personal cloth. 

I believe that this practice of increasing our tolerance for intensity allows us to feel more present and alive in all aspects of our lives. It enables us to feel profound sadness without becoming depressed, experience fear without overwhelming anxiety and give ourselves to rage without the need to act violently. I believe this is all possible within a mutually trusting therapeutic relationship.